My story actually started 4 years ago. I was then 24 years old. I have only one child. I breastfed him for 3 months. I am 5'6" and weighed 107 at the time of my first surgery. I was a B cup before I had my son. After having him and breastfeeding, I shrunk to not even an A cup. I was not happy with that. I had talked about having the surgery done for a few years before I actually had it done.
I made an appointment for a consultation with a doctor in a nearby town. There were no doctors performing this surgery in my city. I had my consultation and made my appointment for the surgery that day. My surgery date was a month away. I played with plastic bags filled with water at home. I thought that 300cc would be a considerable increase. So, in June of 98 I had my first surgery. I had 300cc on both sides placed under the muscle in the anatomical shape. The incision was inframammary. I ended up with a B cup.
I was in terrible shape after the surgery. They had overdosed me. The first thing I remember was moving from the wheelchair to the car. I couldn't stay awake. When we got to the hotel, I went straight to bed. Within a couple of hours I was throwing up and also started my period. I was in the bathroom crying because I felt so bad. I told my husband he might have to put my suppository and tampon in because I could barely move my arms. But I managed; I was too embarrassed to make him do it for me. I went back to bed. My husband said I moaned in my sleep all night. The weight on my chest seemed very heavy.
I had a checkup the next day before we drove home. The doctor said all looked well and to come back in a week to have the stitches removed. I slept the whole way home, an hour and a half drive. When we got home, I set up a bed on the couch. That is where I slept for the first week. I wasn't in lots of pain. By my 4th day I felt better and started to do some things around the house. Big mistake. I paid for it later that night. I was very sore and tired. When I went in the following week to have my stitches removed, I knew I wanted to be bigger. The doctor convinced me that they were perfect and a good size for my body. So I lived with it.
Almost exactly three years later, my right implant deflated. It was a shock. It happened for no apparent reason. I just woke up one morning to find it had shrunk. I immediately called a friend who had just had a BA done. We had moved to a new state and I was nowhere near the original doctor. She recommended her surgeon. I called and made an appointment. He got me in and told me that I could go bigger but since the implants would be a different brand that I would have to pay the whole price. I was fine with this as long as I got what I wanted.
In May of 2001 I had my second surgery. My surgery was within 10 days of the rupture to keep the capsule from healing. I told the doctor that I would like to be a full C cup. He said that would probably be around 400cc. I thought that sounded good. This time the implants were filled to 420cc round smooth, but stayed under the muscle. The surgeon used my old incision. This time, the first thing I remember was waking up in the wheelchair in the hallway. I felt great. I was in no pain and the weight change wasn't noticeable. I only took extra strength Tylenol. I slept upright for a week, because it was more comfortable.
When I went in a week later to have the stitches removed I was going to talk to the doctor about the size. I still wanted to be bigger. The doctor was not there due to a scheduling error, so the nurse removed the stitches and told me everything looked fine. At my 4 month checkup I talked to the doctor about the size, but once again I was told they were perfect and not to mess with them. Besides this doctor said that he didn't do the fake look. So I decided to live with them and wear push-up bras.
That is until Dec. of 2001. My scar capsule on the right side broke open. My implant was not staying in place when I would lie down. The implant slid off my chest to the right side. I went back to the surgeon and he said that I needed a capsulararphy. In that procedure, they remove the implant and put permanent stitches in the scar capsule and then replace the implant. It was going to cost me $2,600. He didn't seem to be enthused about it and told me that it was not a big problem and that I could live with it. I knew that I would have it fixed but not by him. So I started searching for a new surgeon. I also had to wait until I had the money, because I was going to have to pay the whole price again because I was going to go bigger.
I found an absolutely wonderful surgeon. On my consultation, I knew he was the one. He asked me things the others hadn't and recommended things the others hadn't. This was the first doctor who asked if I had pictures of what I liked. I was so happy. I showed him some pictures I had gotten out of men's magazines of what I liked. He said that there would be no problem and that I probably wouldn't need the capsularharphy because of the size of the new implants. The implant would fill the pocket completely, so it would not slide out of place. I couldn't wait to get it done. I scheduled my surgery that day. This doctor requires a mammogram to be done before surgery. I was glad to get one done. I was nervous the day of the mammogram but relieved to find out everything was normal.
My third surgery was April 2002. I had 600cc round smooth placed under the muscle. The incision is the same as before. I woke up while I was still lying on the table. The nurse was cleaning up the room. I asked if my husband could come back and see them before they put the bra on. When my husband came in I knew they were what I wanted by his reaction. When we got home I called my friends to let them know how it went. Then I iced them. This was the first doctor that told me to ice them. It felt good to ice them. I had no pain at all and no swelling. I had to keep reminding myself to take it easy and relax. I felt completely normal. Once again the weight difference was not noticeable. On my way to my 1-week checkup I stopped and tried on bras. I am a full D cup. The doctor used dissolvable stitches. My scars look better than they did before.
I am so happy. I have finally gotten what I wanted all along. It has taken 4 years and a lot of money but I am now happy. Even though I have had problems with my implants I could not imagine being without them. Thank you for letting me tell my story and I hope it is of some help.
- Dawn
View My Photos - Dawn